Record sheet holder



P 11, 1951 H. E. FOSTER ET AL RECORD SHEET HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 27, 1948 INKS/V7095 HENRY EDWARD 7267f? FREOERbIQZK WILL/AH Homcc ZACEY y cwn uu. @vM

fie/ ATTORNEYS,

p 1951 H. E. FOSTER ET AL 2,567,279

RECORD SHEET HOLDER Filed Nov. 27, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HENRY EDWARD OJTER Tfitfofikmg WILL/AM HORACE lAcEy he ATTORNEYS,

Patented Sept. 11, 1951 RECORD SHEET HOLDERa-z Henry Edward Foster, Mitcham; and. Frederick William Horace Lacey, Worcester Park; Eng land, assignors to LeverBr'otliers- Company, Cambridge, Mass; a corporation of Maine Application November 27, 1948, Serial'Not 62,324. In Great Britain December. 3,1947

Claims. (Cl. 281 4 1) The present. invention relates. to record sheet holders.

A system for the computation of like items or dataarranged in, usually, vertical columns, each column being arranged down one side of a separate-record sheet, is in use, of the kind in which the sheets are laid in. an. overlapping relationshipon a backing support with the columns of data visible. In use, a horizontal line guide is placed. across the sheets, and the result of the. computation of all the items from the several sheets. along: the horizontal line is entered on a blank sheet placed at. the. end of the assembly of sheets.

For assembling. the. sheets in the above described manner, there has been proposed whatis usually referred to. as a peg-board, that is, a backingsupport for the sheetsprovided along its,upper edge with a number of pegs at regular intervals. Thesheets for use with such a board are punched with holes spaced to correspond with the spacing of the pegs on the board. The spacingiof the pegs is such that each sheet fits over at" least two pegs to holdit securely. The pegs may befi'x'ed to the backing support itselfor to aseparate member adaptedto be fixed to the backing support.

A disadvantage of sucharrangements lies in the fact that only sheets with theiproperly posi tioned punchings can beiused with a given board, so that specially prepared sheets are necessary. A further disadvantage is that the possible variationsin width of thevisible columns are limited to'increments equal to the spacing'of the'pegs v thus limiting the freedom of design of the rulings" on the sheets.

It isan'object of the present invention to providean improved andsimplified device for use witha system of computation, such as is de"-' scribed :above, in" which sheets of paper containing significant data are required'to be laid in a predetermined relationship; which does not require specially punched sheets andwhich' is 'sime" pler, in' operation than" known arrangements for' thispurpose.

According to the invention'a recordsheet hold erlfor use in a system of computation of the-kind described comprises abackingsupporting of non magneticmaterial; a strip of form-magnetic material carried by said support; a packing edge onsaid backing support spaced. apart from and paralleli to said strip, and a plurality'of'magnets; whereby the sheets carrying the data'to be com puted. may be held between said strip and-said"- nets. by the magnetic attraction therebetween. f

In assemblingthetsheets' on'the holder, two or three sheets are-placed in position-towards the right'handjside of thebacking support, the first sheet .usually. being a blank forenterin'g the re-" sult of. the computation, and the succeeding sheets, added to the-left of the first sheet, each overlapping tliepreceding one to leave only the column of data exposed. The bottom edges of the sheets .are packed against the packing edge, and the. position of the strip; of ferro-magnetic material is such that'it lies underneath the upper parts of the sheets,- where no'figures to be com putedare written. When two" or three sheets have been arrangeda bar magnet is placed on them to hold" them in position. Two or threeample the .resultof "thexcomputation of each hor izontal lineofdata is entered" on the right hand sheet. g V

l=lr'eferably the bar magnets' used should 'be short, so th'atonemagnetis used for every two or three. sheets. simme rectangular-section bar magnets are found to beeifective, but a preferred shape .for the magnet. to takeis, that or a low bridge.

' the above described system" of computation is usually only carried. out incaseswhere a con-- siderable. number of sheets is involved (in thecase where .a few sheets only are requiredtoibe computed at a time, axrecord sheet holder is notusually necessary) at least three, andusually fouror more magnets twill-be; providedfor each board.

The holdenmay beprovi'ded, for example at the topend edge; with a second strip for ferro magneti'c. materialifor holding' the magnets when the latter are not beingusedfor securing sheets.

The packingfedge may" be hinged or otherwise moyeablesoi th atafte'r the sheets have been ar ranged'against'it andsecured-by the magnets; it

may be moved. to give" nee movement 1 tea line'- uide; or to. enable the bottom-of the sheets tobe moreeasilyaccessible for writing on.

The strip'ferro ma'gnetic material may be'perm'anently fixed-to the backing support, thedistance between the'backing edge and the strip being "such thatwhen'thebottom of the sheets to be usedwiththe'device are arrangedagainst this" edge; thetop of" thesheets just overlay" the" strip. Alternatively, the strip" may be adjustable in its position in the'vertical direction; so that the" device can beusedwith sheets of a range of;

These and various other possible modifications will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a record sheet holder unloaded,

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a record sheet holder in use,

Fig. 3 shows an end view of Figs. 1 or 2,

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views of parts of Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 7 is a section of part ,of Figs. 1 to 3, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a preferred shape of magnet.

Referring now to the drawings, a backing support I in the form of a wooden board is raised at one end on a batten 2, so that it is at a convenient slope for use, the whole being mounted on sheets can be packed or aligned in the manner to,

be described later. A strip '5 of ferro-magnetic material such as iron or steel, that is a material capable of being attracted by a magnet, though preferably not itself magnetised, lies across the length of the board I. This strip may be permanently fixed to the board, but in the embodi ment shown it is adjustable. For this purpose the ends 6 of the strip 5 are bent over the edge of the board and-each end is provided with a withdrawable stud or button I (Figs. 6 and '7) which fits into a suitable hole 8 of a series of such holes formed in the side of the board I. The stud I is spring loaded by a spring 9 to retain it inthe holes 8. To adjust the position of the strip the studs are withdrawn from the holes 8 (preferably they are prevented from being completely withdrawn from'the end 6 by having their inner ends broadened) and the strip 5 is moved up or down the board to the new position.

Fig. 2 shows how the board is used in practice. The sheets I 0 are laid in an overlapping relationshipso that on each sheet only the column II! carrying-the data to be computed is exposed.

When the sheets I0 have been laid in the desired overlappin position, with their lower edges against the packing ledge 4, they are held in position by means of small permanent bar magnets .4 back of the packing edge 4 also facilitates writing on the bottom of the sheets by making the bottom of the sheet easily accessible to the pen and by acting as a support for the hand.

When the computation is finished, the straight edge I2 is removed, and the bar magnets I3 are detached from the strip 5. The papers may then be pushed together into one pile and removed. The board is now clear for a further set of sheets to be laid out for computation.

In order that the magnets I3 may not be mislaid, and to provide a place where they may be conveniently deposited while the board is being cleared after a computation so that they are ready to hand when required, there may be provided another strip I5, also of iron or steel or similar material to that constituting the strip 5, secured to the top end edge of the board I. The magnets I 3 when removed from the sheets I0 may be placed against this strip I5 which holds them 4 sheet holder as described is capable of accommodating sheets of a range of sizes. Should, however, it be necessary to work with sheets which are longer than the height of the board (that is. the dimension measured from the ledge p. 4

' to the strip I5), the board may be provided with I3 which by magnetic attraction to the strip 5.

As has already been mentioned, preferably thebar magnets used should be short, so that one magnet is used for every two or three sheets as illustrated in Fig. 2. Simple rectangular-section bar magnets are found to be eifective, but a preferred shape for the magnet to take is that of a low :bridge as illustrated in Fig. 8.

- To guide the operator in working across the columns, a straight edge I2 may be laid across the sheets. This straight edge may be a separate piece as shown or may be fixed adjustably to the board in any suitable manner.

As an aid to performing the computation of the lower few horizontal lines of the sheets, the ledge 4, which in the position shown in Fig. 2 would arrest the dowwnard movement of the straight edge I2, may be hinged, so'that after packing the sheets, it may be moved into position 4' shown in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 5. A hinge I4 for this purpose is shown in Fig. 5. The folding a second packing edge I6 which is contained in a recess in the batten 2, and is hinged at II (Fig. 4) so that it can take up the position I6 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This upper pack scribed against the lower packing edge 4 and held in place by the magnets against the strip 5 which is placed near the top of the board. As much of the data on the sheets as is accessible is now computed. The magnets are then removed and.

the sheets are reassembled with their upper edges against the upper packing edge I6 which is turned into the position I6 for this purpose; the strip '5 remains in the same position as before, and.

the magnets lie over the heading of they sheets. The packing ledge 4 is turned down into the position 4'. The remainder of the data on the.

sheet can now be computed.

The above described arrangements are given by way of example only, and many modifications within the scope of the invention will readly be apparent.

We claim:

1. A record sheet holder for use in a system of computation in which sheets of paper having data inscribed thereon are required to be placed in an overlapping relationship with the data vis-.

ible for computation, said holder comprising a backing support of non-magnetic material, a,

strip of ferro-magnetic material movable relative to said support, cooperating guide elements on said strip and said support to position said strip relative to said support, a packing edge member at one edge of said support, cooperating means on said strip and said support to fix said strip relative to said support and retain said strip parallel with said packing edge member, a plurality 2. A record sheet holder for use in a system ofcomputation in which sheets of paper having: data inscribed thereon are required to be placed" in an overlapping relationship with the data visible for computation, said holder comprising a backing support of non-magnetic material, a strip of ferro-magnetic material carried by said support and movable relative thereto, cooperating means on said strip and said support for guiding said strip during movement relative to said support, cooperating elements on said strip and said support to fix said strip against movement relative to said support, a packing edge member spaced apart from and parallel to said strip and movably attached to said backing support in such a manner as to allow free access to said sheets when they have been arranged, and a plurality of magnets to hold said sheets in the desired overlapping relationship between said strip and said magnets by the magnetic attraction therebetween.

3. A record sheet holder for use in a system of computation in which sheets of paper having data inscribed thereon are required to be placed in an overlapping relationship with the data visible for computation, said holder comprising a backing support of non-magnetic material, a strip of ferro-magnetic material carried by and movable relative to said support, guide elements on said strip engaging said support to position said strip relative to said support, cooperating means on said strip and said support to fix said strip relative to said support, a first packing edge mounted on one edge of said backing support and spaced apart from and parallel to said strip, a second packing edge mounted on an opposite and parallel edge of said backing support, said packing edges being hingedly mounted in such a manner that, when one packing edge is in use the other may be moved clear, and a plurality of magnets, whereby sheets longer than the height of said support may be assembled first with one end against one packing edge and then with the other end against the other packing edge, and may, at each assembly, be held in the desired overlapping relationship by magnetic attraction between said strip and said magnets.

4. A support for retaining a plurality of record sheets of paper having data thereon in overlapping relation with the data visible for computation comprising a backing support of non-magnetic material to receive said record sheets, a packing edge at one edge of said support, a strip of ferro-magnetic material overlying said support and adjustable toward and away from said packing edge, means at opposite ends of said strip engageable with said support for retaining said strip in adjusted position relative to said packing edge, said strip underlying the record sheets, and at least one magnet to overlie said record sheets and said strip to retain said sheets on said support by attraction between said magnet and said strip.

5. A support for retaining a plurality of record sheets in overlapping relation with data thereon visible for computation, comprising a fiat, substantially rectangular, non-magnetic supporting member to receive record sheets in overlapping relation, a packing edge at one edge of said support to engage the correspondingedges of said record sheets, a strip of ferro-magnetic material overlying said support beneath said sheets and being adjustable toward and away from said packing edge, said strip having end portions engaging opposite ends of said support, means in said opposite edges and said end portions for releasably locking said strip in adjusted position on said support and at least one magnet to overlie said record sheets and said strip to retain said sheets on said support by attraction between said magnet and said strip.

HENRY EDWARD FOSTER. FREDERICK WILLIAM HORACE LACEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1 Date 93,931 Wescott Aug. 17, 1869 1,988,368 Ainsworth Jan. 15, 1935 2,171,605 Sheman Sept. 5, 1939 2,177,905 McKeehan Oct. 31, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 767,349 France May 1, 1934 

